The Foreign Ministry’s Appointments Committee for Appointing Representatives Abrod, chaired by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, on Wednesday approved two new diplomatic appointments.
Yahel Vilan has been appointed Israel’s ambassador to Singapore and East Timor. He previously served as ambassador to Kenya and Serbia.
Michael Lotem, currently serving as a non-resident economic ambassador to Africa, has been appointed Israel’s first ambassador to Somaliland.
He previously served as Israel’s ambassador to Kenya, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. In the initial stage, Lotem will serve as a non-resident ambassador to Somaliland.
Israel recognized Somaliland in December 2025, becoming the first and, to date, the only country to officially recognize the self-declared republic, which Somalia considers part of its territory.
Less than two weeks later, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar visited Somaliland.
In January, Israeli President Isaac Herzog met on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos with the President of Somaliland, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi.
In a post on social media following the meeting, Herzog wrote, 'I welcome the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two nations and look forward to deepening our bilateral cooperation for the benefit of both our peoples."
Abdirahman, in a post of his own, wrote, "Our discussions focused on strengthening and advancing bilateral relations between the Republic of Somaliland and the State of Israel."